Welcome to the 2009 Burger Bonanza wherein two girls eat 20 of the city's best burgers, on the path to burger enlightenment. The 10 best will then be chosen to be featured—in ranking order—in 7x7's September magazine issue. Burgers must fit our "fancy burger" parameter: made with beef and available as part of the regular dinner menu at upscale restaurants in SF. Beyond that, we're open to suggestions, which we hope you will leave in the comment box below!

Michael Bauer's reviews have become a hot topic in our office these last few weeks. After Sara posted her response to his harsh review of Acme Chophouse, we received an unprecedented number of emails and comments. Some people told us off. Others, notably lots of chefs, heard just where we were coming from. Many of them said they too were sick of the Bauer tyranny, but also so afraid of his influence—both here and nationally—to go on the record about how they really feel.

New restaurants? Exciting. New renegade one-day-a-week restaurants with a rotating roster of guest chefs, an ever-changing menu and a rental kitchen? Sign us up. For all of you who missed Mission Street Food, the short lived “hipster” taco truck that appeared for a few Thursday nights this fall, now is your chance to sample the goods. The operation has moved indoors.

In all the hustle and bustle of last week (closing our November issue, dodging Fleet Week drama and the release of the 2009 Michelin guide) we received a press release from none other than Elizabeth Falkner, the executive chef behind both Citizen Cake and Orson. Unfortunately, the release confirmed what we feared might eventually happen over at Orson (for our early article and video about Orson, click here).